Vegan salmon fillet becomes the first 3D printed product available in supermarkets. What does this mean for the future of food 3D printing?

Austrian food-tech startup Revo Foods is launching a 3D printed vegan salmon filet in REWE supermarket. The mycoprotein-based filet becomes the world´s first 3D printed food that is available in supermarkets, an important milestone for 3D food printing technology. What does that mean for the future of 3D Food Printing? It means that the technology is now ready to scale to industrial volumes, and many more 3D printed foods can be expected in the near future.
 

The urgent need for sustainable seafood

With up to 60% of global fish stocks being overfished, there is a severe risk of a collapsing ocean ecosystem. The fishing industry is also the main reason for plastic pollution in the oceans. A collapse of marine biodiversity would be irreversible, and catastrophic for the estimated 3 billion people around the world who depend on the oceans for food and income.

 

Despite dramatic losses of coral reefs and increasing levels of toxins and micro plastic contaminating fish, consumer demand for seafood has paradoxically skyrocketed in recent decades. One promising solution to provide consumers with sustainable alternatives that do not contribute to overfishing is vegan seafood. The key to success of these products lies in recreating an authentic taste that appeals to flexitarians.

 

THE FILET is the first product produced with Revo Foods patented MassFormerTM technology

A new extrusion technology revealed by Revo Foods allows the seamless integration of fats into a fibrous protein matrix - leading to a new generation of authentic seafood alternatives, with the typical “flakiness” and juicy fibers of fish filets. Utilizing their patent-pending 3D-MassFormer technology, Revo Foods has developed the first-ever continuous production process capable of mass-producing 3D-printed food.

 

“With the milestone of industrial-scale 3D food printing, we are entering a creative food revolution, an era where food is being crafted exactly according to the customer needs. We are not just creating a vegan alternative; we are shaping the future of food itself”, Robin Simsa, CEO of Revo Foods.

 

This new process is a gamechanger for meat alternatives, making it possible to create a new category of authentic products such as vegan steaks and filets.
 
“THE FILET – Inspired by Salmon”, made with 3D Structuring and Mycoprotein

This September, Revo Foods introduces “THE FILET – Inspired by Salmon”, which marks a milestone for being the first 3D printed vegan seafood – and the first 3D printed product in general – to hit supermarket shelves. The main ingredient is mycoprotein created from filamentous fungi, which has excellent nutritional values and a natural meat-like texture. THE FILET also has a Nutriscore rating of “A”, due to high protein-, and Omega-3-content.

 

 

Mycoprotein has only minimal processing requirements and needs fewer resources (water, emissions) in its production compared to conventional fish production, making it significantly more environmentally friendly. 

The mycoprotein ingredient is the result of a co-development between Revo Foods and the Swedish startup Mycorena, in which Mycorena´s “Promyc” protein base was engineered specifically for 3D printing purposes. This development was supported with 1.5 Mill EUR of European funding.

 

The initial launch partner for THE FILET on September 14th is REWE/BILLA, one of the biggest European retailers. Customers across Europe can also order THE FILET at Revo Foods online shop from October 1st at www.shop-revo-foods.com